This invention relates to a lamp socket for detachably mounting thereto a discharge lamp and to a discharge lamp lighting device incorporating the lamp socket.
In respect of automotive head lamps in recent years, there has been a tendency that discharge lamps of higher brightness, lower power consumption and longer life than conventional halide lamps have been employed, attaching importance to the safety. Such discharge lamps employed in the automotive head lamps have involved a problem that, because of the necessity of applying such very high voltage as to be more than 13 kV upon starting, a starting circuit for applying the high starting voltage and a lamp socket for mounting the discharge lamp are arranged as separate members so that parts number is increased and occupying space in the automobile is enlarged.
In view of this, there have been suggested various attempts in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications Nos. 10-214733, 11-7807, 10-223005, 10-255507 and so on for reducing the parts number and occupying space by housing at least part of the starting circuit in a socket body of the lamp socket.
In the foregoing prior art, however, there has been a problem that, as the starting circuit has been constituted by mounting electronic parts on printed circuit substrate, they have been able to be disposed only in two dimensional manner in the socket body, there has occurred a dead space in upper space of the respective electronic parts, and eventually the lamp socket as well as the discharge lamp lighting device employing the lamp socket have had to be dimensionally enlarged.
The present invention has been suggested for overcoming the foregoing problem, and its object is to establish a dimensional minimization of the lamp socket and discharge lamp lighting device.
The present invention establishes the above object by means of one comprising a socket section to which a discharge lamp is dismountably mounted, a connector section for electrical connection with the exterior, a starting circuit section including a plurality of electronic parts and lead frames connected to at least part of these electronic parts for forming wiring paths between the respective electronic parts to start the discharge lamp with a high voltage applied thereto, and a case in which the starting circuit section is provided, characterized in that the socket and connector sections are integrally provided.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be understood from following description made with reference to drawings.